Joe Lieberman doesn't inspire me. Does he inspire anybody? If I lived in Connecticut, I'd probably vote for Lamont in the primary, and I'm pretty confident that Joe is going to lose the upcoming primary.
The signs are everywhere, not the least of which was the announcement that Lieberman would run as an Independent if he lost the Democratic Primary. It's a sad, sad thing when you think that just six years ago, he was our party's Vice Presidential candidate.
But no matter how sad the sordid tale of Joementum is, the actions of Al Gore surpass it. Gore will not support Joe in any way, unlike Hillary Clinton and many other Democrats who have said that they will support Joe up to the primary, and then respect the wishes of Democratic voters and throw their support behind whoever wins the primary.
This clearly demonstrates two things. First, Al Gore is seriously eyeing a Presidential run. As James Carville once said, "Running for President is like sex. After you do it once, you don't just say `Oh, I've done that before, I don't need to do it again.'" Second, it shows that Al Gore lacks the moral character and backbone to deserve to be President.
To Al Gore, Joe Lieberman shouldn't be just another guy running for office. Lieberman is the man Gore went to war with, and fought a campaign that won the popular vote in 2000. I don't care if Joe Lieberman has supported the war in Iraq, you do not turn your back on your friend and someone who you told the American people, just a few years ago, was the right man to be our Vice President. Until primary voters decide otherwise, Joe Lieberman is the Democratic Senator from Connecticut, and he will always be Al Gore's former running mate.
This is a question of loyalty. If Al Gore feels no loyalty to his former running mate, then who does he feel loyalty to? The answer is that Al Gore is loyal to Al Gore, and nobody else. In 2000, he ran to the center. Now, he's running to the left. It's all political posturing.
Al Gore lacks backbone, principles, and is simply pathetic. He could have supported his old war horse at least through the primary. But, he feels no loyalty to Lieberman. I contend that for this display, and all that it represents, we should feel no loyalty to Al Gore.